Haaland catches up with Messi, Mbappe in Golden Boot race

2 min readJul 6, 2026 04:26 AM IST

Norway's Erling Haaland (9) leads the team as they participate in a viking boat row after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Brazil and Norway in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Norwegian striker Erling Haaland blew the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot race wide open after he scored a brace against Brazil to knock the Selecao out of the tournament with Norway winning the crucial Round of 16 match 2-1. With his strikes in the 79th and 90th minute, Haaland now has 7 goals, the same number as France’s Kylian Mbappe and Argentina’s Lionel Messi.

Mbappe leads the table with 7 goals and 2 assists while Haaland and Messi both have 7 goals and 0 assists with the Norwegian currently at the 3rd position. England’s Harry Kane is 4th with 5 goals and 0 assists while France’s Ousmane Dembélé, Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal, Brazil’s Vinicius Jr and Ismaïla Sarr follow with 4 goals each.

Leading goalscorers in FIFA World Cup 2026

Rank

Player

Country

Goals

Assists

1

Kylian Mbappé

France

7

2

2

Lionel Messi

Argentina

7

0

3

Erling Haaland

Norway

7

0

4

Harry Kane

England

5

0

5

Ousmane Dembélé

France

4

2

6

Mikel Oyarzabal

Spain

4

1

7

Ismaïla Sarr

Senegal

4

1

8

Vinícius Júnior

Brazil

4

1

9

Deniz Undav

Germany

3

2

10

Johan Manzambi

Switzerland

3

2

11

Julián Quiñones

Mexico

3

1

12

Cody Gakpo

Netherlands

3

1

13

Brian Brobbey

Netherlands

3

0

14

Folarin Balogun

United States

3

0

15

Elijah Just

New Zealand

3

0

16

Matheus Cunha

Brazil

3

0

17

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

3

0

18

Kai Havertz

Germany

3

0

19

Yoane Wissa

DR Congo

3

0

20

Ismael Saibari

Morocco

3

0

This World Cup has been sensational for Frenchman Michael Olise. The attacking midfielder has been a goal-creating machine in the France setup and a vital cog in Les Bleus’ attack as they eye a repeat of their 2018 triumph. Olise has provided more assists than any other player in this edition, with five in five games, as France defeated Paraguay in the Round of 16 to qualify for the quarterfinals.

Equally impressive has been Morocco’s Brahim Diaz who has played provider 4 times in 5 matches, helping his team qualify for the quarterfinals after winning 3-0 vs Canada in the Round of 16.

Players with most assists at FIFA World Cup 2026

Rank

Name

Country

Matches

Assists

1

Michael Olise

France

5

5

2

Brahim Diaz

Morocco

5

4

3

Bruno Guimaraes

Brazil

5

4

T4

Roberto Alvarado

Mexico

4

3

T4

Florian Wirtz

Germany

4

3

T4

Martin Odegaard

Norway

5

3

(Both tables updated after Brazil vs Norway)

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